How Vinicius Betrayed Barcelona

The 18-year-old Vinicius has emerged as a member of the Real Madrid first XI under manager Santiago Solari over the last month due to his wonderful performances during a difficult run of form for the Santiago side.

Since the departure of club-record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo, fans and media alike have dubbed him as the future of Los Blancos because of his inspiring attacking displays on the left wing. 

It was disclosed in Brazilian media before the semi-final of the Copa del Rey that a

strong show against Barça will earn him a call up to the senior national team and this meteoric rise will no doubt irk the Catalan giants.

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the teenager was lined up by Barca but were blindsided by his agents and Real President Florentino Perez.

The man who played a key role in Neymar joining the club from Santos, André Cury, kept a close tab on the young lad for three years and when he was eligible to put pen to paper for a professional contract, Sporting Director Pep Segura travelled to Brazil on several occasions to explain the club's plans for him.

Vinícius' parents and his uncle were in attendance in April 2017, to watch a Blaugrana match and prior to their visit, they had reached an agreement of a €30m deal for the promising talent to arrive at the Camp Nou. 

During their time in Spain, the player's agents Federico Pena and Estéfano Ávila made a quick trip to the capital and upon returning to Barcelona, the representatives “verbally” agreed a deal with Barca’s then director Raül Sanllehí for Vinícius and the latter returned to South America.

After returning to Brazil, Pena called Cury to explain that Real Madrid are interested in Vinicius, which resulted in intense tension between the two.

The Los Blancos leaders made a trip to Rio de Janeiro after which Vinícius signed a new contract at Flamengo, where his release clause went up from €30m to €45m. 

Florentino Pérez was reportedly willing to pay the additional €15m so that the club didn't end up losing another promising talent to Barcelona as in Neymar’s deal.

The report further revealed that the entire deal cost Real Madrid €61m because they had to pay €8m commission to his agents and €8m as a signing on bonus for Vinícius - double the initial agreement Barca had with Flamengo.